Bride: Simone Wellington, 33, Events & Experience Manager for a Wellness Company
Groom: Sean M. Wellington, 32, Producer
Wedding Date: September 1, 2018
Wedding Location: Akwaaba – The Mansion at Noble Lane – Poconos, PA
Wedding Theme: Modern Glam and Black Elegance
Wedding Photographer: Kesha Lambert Photography
Wedding Entertainment: DJ: Jason Anthony, TSG Productions / Drummer: Carlin “The Docta”
The Love Story
How did you meet?
“We met in 2003 as freshmen at Temple University. Sean was watching TV in a neighboring dorm room when I happened to be walking by and my attention was grabbed by a vulgar talking baby on the screen. Sean was perplexed that I had never seen an episode of ‘Family Guy’ and didn’t know that little baby was ‘Stewie’. One conversation turned into several, and as the weeks went by, we learned more and more about each other. Both of us were from New York so I let Sean accompany me on my Greyhound trip home for Christmas. It was on that bus, after hours of conversation, where Sean and I had our first kiss and the rest is history.”
How did he propose?
“I love holidays, and none more than Christmas. An annual tradition for my family is to visit the famous Garabedian Christmas House on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. One day before Sean and I were supposed to spend Christmas out of town, we visited the house. Sean, who is notoriously uninterested in holidays, seemed unusually persistent that we not only visit the house before the trip, but that I wear something ‘nice’ even though he was wearing sweatpants. Once we arrived, I wandered off for what couldn’t have been more than two minutes to explore the far side of the house. When I walked back I was shocked to see Sean was wearing a full suit. He got down on one knee and popped the question whilst playing a video he edited for me featuring photos of us throughout the years and special messages from my family. The entire moment was captured on Facebook and Instagram Live for our friends and family to witness too.”
01
A Beautiful Bride
“Being a bride truly felt amazing," says Simone. "My gown, hair, makeup, accessories was everything I could imagine and more."
02
A Gorgeous Gown
"As soon as I tried on my gown I knew it was the one because I immediately starting tearing up," Simone shares. "My dress was designed by Eddy K. I had two styles in mind, either a dress with an overskirt or a cape dress. The third salon I went to on my first day of shopping had both styles."
03
The Girl Of His Dreams
"I love how affectionate she is," the groom says of his beautiful bride. "She never hesitates to give me a big hug and kiss at any given moment. She’s going to hate this part, but I’m deeply in love with her nose. I adore her eskimo kisses the most."
04
His Big Moment
The groom and groomsmen’s attire were custom tailored by “Suit Man” in Mount Vernon, NY. Dapper groom Sean wore all black and his groomsman colors were black, white and gold. The bridesmaids wore black with gold accessories, so it was a simple decision to have the groomsmen in black suits as well with gold ties and pocket squares.
05
Squad Goals
"My sister was my Maid of Honor and I chose four bridesmaids who are close friends from high school and college," says Simone. The ladies rocked matching robes as they prepared to get into formation on the big day. Side note: We love their matching floral silk robes -- always a classic touch.
06
All Smiles
"The amazing Glamour by Shaniqua (based in Brooklyn, NY) did my hair and makeup," Simone shares. "I had my cousin do the makeup for my bridesmaids. I found my wedding hairstyle on Pinterest a few years before I got engaged and slightly modified it to have a fishtail braid instead of it being a complete updo." Of course, she stayed the look on the big day.
07
Accessories, Accessories, Accessories!
"My mother-in-law made my horse-trim veil and bracelets," Simone shares. "I also wore crystal drop rose-gold earrings and Badgley Mischka wedges with a jeweled ankle-strap."
08
A New Man
"I never thought I would find true love, nor did I really believe in it," Sean reveals. "It wasn’t until we spent time apart that I realized I couldn’t live without her. Simone helped me change my view on what true love and forced me to step outside of my comfort zone. She still does every day."
09
Step It Up
Modern bride Simone decided to skip the usual something old, bored and blue tradition.
10
Black Girl Magic
We love it when you can see the love between the bride and her girls just beaming from the bridal party photos.
11
Let's Hear It For The Fellas
Sean’s best man was his best friend since the 3rd grade and his groomsmen were two close friends from college, his uncle and a close friend from his old job.
12
It's A Family Affair
The couple chose the perfect venue and photographer. Their family portraits were absolutely stunning.
13
Love Of His LIfe
"Simone is my constant and she has always been 'The One' for me," Sean tells us. "And through the years, her love, grace, and guidance has shaped me into the man I am and shown me the man I want to become."
14
The First Look
"Having started dating in college, we have definitely endured our share of ups and downs, but also a tremendous amount of growth that has helped to strengthen our love," says the bride.
15
Simply Perfect
Every detail was planned to a tee on the couple's big day. "I initially intended to plan the entire wedding myself (I have a meetings and event planning background)," Simone shares. "Thankfully I took the sage advice of a few friends to hire a month of coordinator. We hired Melanie Duncan, a college friend who does wedding coordinating, which was one of the best decisions we made in our planning process."
16
Camera Ready!
Sean and Simone posed to perfection with their bridal party on their wedding day. The mansion provided a picturesque backdrop to remember.
17
It's A Small World
"Our goddaughter was the flower girl and my 9-year-old cousin was the ring bearer," the bride shares.
18
Chic and Sweet
"The bridesmaids wore a beautiful black dress with lace detailing from Lulus," Simone shares. "The Maid of Honor wore a similar lace detailed gown purchased at a local boutique in The Bronx.I initially had a gold, sequined gown with a cowl neck back in mind for my girls but then quickly realized that particular dress was THE bridesmaid dress of 2017. Luckily it was early enough to change my mind and I promptly switched to black."
19
The Perfect Day
"Our ceremony decor was simple and classic," the bride recalls. "We were married in front of a large stone facade and had white flowers hanging on a silver wire to give the illusion that it was floating in front of the wall."
20
The Moment She Was Waiting For
"It truly felt amazing to be the bride," says Simone. "My gown, hair, makeup, accessories was everything I could imagine and more. Seeing all my friends and family come together to witness our union was surreal. I made sure to stay present and in the moment as it it’s truly a one of a kind experience."
21
Here Comes The Bride
"My Father walked me down the aisle and removed my blusher veil before I walked the rest of the way with Sean to the altar," Simone shares. For the song selection, she chose to mix it up a bit. "We hired a singer (David Lyve) who sang a beautiful medley of Usher’s 'Matrimony' and ended with a rendition of Alicia Keys and Brian McKnight's 'Never Felt This Way'."
22
Fit For A King and Queen
"We took advantage of the venue which had a three-tiered lawn," the bride shares. "Our ceremony was on the 1st tier facing the mansion and a grand stone facade. Our cocktail hour was held on the third tier which included a beautiful arbor and lawn games (Ie: Jenga, Chess, Corn Hole). The dinner reception took place on the 2nd tier under a tent. For our last location we moved inside for cake cutting, our first dance and the turn up."
23
That Magic Moment
"We’ve been together for so long and there’s been so much anticipation leading up to the big day that it was a huge sigh of relief to finally arrive and know that we can officially start this new chapter in our lives," explains the bride. In lieu of writing their own vows, the couple chose to read from the Episcopal prayer book.
24
Pucker Up
"I chose Simone to be my wife because she is the only woman in this world that I can picture myself starting a family and building a life with," Sean shares.
25
A Heart Of Gold
"What I love most about Sean is his heart," says Simone. "Sean has a very giving heart and is always willing to go above and beyond to help his family, friends and even acquaintances. He’s taught me to live a lot less selfishly over the years."
26
Here Come The Newlyweds
"The woman I married is compassionate, affectionate, loving, goofy, clumsy, and beautiful," the groom proudly professes.
27
Forever Starts Here
"It felt like an overwhelming, out of body experience to be the groom," says Sean. "I’m not a person who likes being the center of attention. Luckily my beautiful bride was able to take up most of the attention." Aww!
28
The Perfect Team
"I planned the wedding for the most part but Sean was very vocal in his thoughts on everything from our cake flavor to vetting all vendors we hired for the big day," Simone tells us.
29
The Luckiest Girl In The World
"I knew Sean was The One way back in college when I felt I could completely be myself around him," Simone shares. "Whether I was acting completely silly or had fallen incredibly ill, hair a complete mess, just anything really. He would still look at me as if I was the most beautiful girl in the world. Having no facades and no fears around him made me know he was someone I could spend the rest of my life with."
30
It's Lit!
"We had an amazing DJ (TSG Productions) and a live drummer who complemented his music wonderfully," Simone shares.
31
Meet The Wellingtons
"One major surprise for our guests was that my husband took my last name," Simone shares, of the couple's unique decision. "Virtually no one knew outside of our immediate families so of course guests were shocked when the pastor announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Wellington. Our card box, cake topper and other elements of the wedding had our new last name so our guests would know it was real and not some prank!"
